Erlaubnis zur Zucht, Haltung und zum Handel mit Tieren Erteilung

For many activities involving the commercial handling of animals, you require a permit from the competent authority.

You require a permit if you wish to carry out the following activities with animals on a commercial basis:

• Breeding or keeping vertebrate animals other than farm animals and wild game
• trade in vertebrates
• maintain a riding or driving operation
• exhibiting animals or making them available for this purpose
• Controlling vertebrates as pests
• training dogs for third parties, such as companion dogs or assistance dogs, maintaining facilities for this purpose or instructing the training of dogs by the animal owner, for example through dog schools

Registration of a trade is not a prerequisite.

As a rule, a trade is deemed to exist if the activity is carried out independently, systematically, continuously and with the intention of making a profit.

A permit is also required if you wish to carry out the following activities:

• You carry out the breeding or keeping, including for sale to third parties, or use of vertebrates or cephalopods which are themselves or whose organs or tissues are intended to be used for scientific purposes, for example animal experiments.
• They carry out the breeding or keeping of vertebrates whose organs or tissues are intended for purposes other than scientific purposes, for example for the creation of cell cultures for diagnostic purposes.
• You keep animals in an animal shelter or similar facility, such as a rescue center.
• You keep and exhibit animals in a zoological garden or other facility or make them available for the latter.
• They bring or import vertebrate animals - with the exception of farm animals - into Germany for the purpose of selling them for a fee or consideration, or place these animals for a fee or consideration, such as through foreign dog welfare organizations.
• They train guard dogs or maintain facilities for this purpose.
• They organize animal exchanges for the purpose of exchanging or selling animals through third parties.

The application must contain at least the following information:

• a detailed description of the planned activity,
• the location of the business (business address),
• details of the applicant, owner of the business (name, address, date and place of birth),
• Details of the person responsible for the activity, if this person is not the same as the respective business owner (name, address, date and place of birth),
• information on the expertise of the person responsible,
• Details of the animal species and the respective number of animals to be kept,
• Details of the premises and facilities: Floor plan, location sketch, description of the housing facilities for the animals with dimensions.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Proof of the applicant's reliability: extract from the central trade register, police clearance certificate
• Proof of the expertise and reliability of the person responsible: e.g. relevant training certificates, degree certificates, training certificates, proof of many years of experience in handling the respective animal species; police clearance certificate

If necessary, plans of the rooms and facilities

• A prerequisite for the granting of the permit is proof of your expertise in relation to the respective animal species and your reliability.
• The premises and facilities must enable the animals to be fed, cared for and housed in accordance with legal requirements and be suitable and compliant with animal welfare regulations for the planned activity.

Is based on the respective administrative fee schedule of the federal state or on the fee statutes of the authorities responsible under federal state law.

• Submit your application to the State Office for Consumer Protection (LAV) by post or email to Tierschutzgewerbe@lav.saarland.de.
• Use the application form via the link below
• Submit the required documents, which will first be checked for formal completeness.
• It will then be checked whether the proof of expertise and reliability can be deemed to have been provided.

Processing time: up to 4 months, extension of 2 months possible

There is no deadline

There are no indications or special features.

• Appeal
• You will find further information on how to lodge an objection in your notification.
• Appeal to the administrative court

• Permission to breed, keep and trade in animals Issue
• A permit is required for certain activities involving animals
• these activities may include the breeding, keeping and trading of vertebrate animals
• the permit is not required for the keeping and breeding of farm animals or wild game
• the permit is issued by the competent authority upon application
• Responsible: competent authorities, usually: veterinary offices